Food truck owners worry about menu size and variety
12 posts in the last 30 days, all from r/foodtrucks.
“The San Francisco Bay Area had this problem. The food was good. The choices were good. Everybody was enjoying the experience. And then 2008 happened. After that, the food trucks that survived were forced to raise prices to a point where it was no longer a viable option to most…”
“Appreciate the input. The bannock bun is the signature of the truck. It's an indigenous food truck, so everything is centered around indigenous ingredients (hence the bison and salmon). Can't lose the bannock. It's the main attraction.”
“It's better to have 5 mains and three sides you do really really well than 20+ items you have to rush/can't fully focus on. Plus a smaller targeted menu means less variety of stored ingredients, less food waste from people not ordering "the right things" and you can carve out a…”
Multiple food truck operators debate the ideal menu size, with concerns around offering too many options or failing to cater to diverse customer preferences. Some suggest limiting choices while others emphasize versatility.
SOURCES (60)
“I would need to see the full menu. But those 6 items are all vastly different. [re: My partner and I are starting a food truck and are stumped for a name, it’s going to be street food, mainly burgers and loaded fries and tacos…”
“Never heard of a truck that was struggling for ideas food wise. Usually the opposite, too many ideas not enough space to execute. [re: Would you let someone else create a menu item for your food truck if you got paid per order?]”
“Was thinking about having a naked tender gluten free option but that isnt a bad idea. Thanks for the tip [re: Chicken Tender Truck Questions]”
“Yeah it's tough. Running a truck is expensive, so prices have to be high enough to match, so the quality and portions have to make it worth it for people.”
“Sounds amazing, some people will never get it. I have a taco truck that I patronize in US that has better food and larger portions than every local Mexican Restaurant.”
“Skip them then. I stand by my statement that some food trucks cost more to build and operate than store front restaurants, and serve higher quality food, which in fact costs more to produce and sell at a profit.”
“A food truck is not a restaurant, that is a fact . A professional would understand that concept. Once again a food truck is not a restaurant.”
“Agreed but they don't get to justify charging restaurant prices because of good food. They are not a restaurant.”
“What does that have to do with my statement. A food truck is not a restaurant, that is a fact. So in what world do you think you are justified to charge those prices.”
“It's not bullshit, a food truck is not a restaurant. I'm sorry if you are not capable of understanding that but it is a fact.”
We're just trying to accumulate feedback for a school project.
“That’s bullshit. Food trucks are expensive. The upkeep is very expensive. The regulations are expensive. Food trucks have to have a commercial kitchen so that’s expensive and most food trucks have to rent the space they sell in. Of a food truck uses quality meat and ingredients then there is no reason to charge normal prices. I have a bar restaurant that is significantly cheaper than a food truck, small and outdoor. But we do high volume and are able to do everything in house and high quality. A”
“Food trucks still work on razor thin profits. They pay the same as the rest for food”
OK you guys convinced me. I did not really understand the situation.
“Trial and error. Bad cook/Bad food. Food costs are higher for small businesses so quality food will cost more for the vendor and pass that forward. Some people are just hacks no matter what.”
“They basically think "It's a cheap food source for workers on job sites" but then ignore that they weren't getting lobster rolls, korean short rib tacos, etc.”
“The San Francisco Bay Area had this problem. The food was good. The choices were good. Everybody was enjoying the experience. And then 2008 happened. After that, the food trucks that survived were forced to raise prices to a point where it was no longer a viable option to most people. In the food trucks blamed the customers. I moved out of the area around when all that went down but I’m seeing the same thing in Southwest Ohio. The cost to value ratio just isn’t good enough to justify the prices,”
“There’s no reason to down somebody being honest about what’s going on. But at the same time, I haven’t been to a food truck in about 15 years because the cost to value ratio kind of evaporated when items that once cost below $10 started averaging near $20. And everyone loses out. A food truck doesn’t make a sale and a customer goes somewhere else or just eats at home.”
“This is the defining line as well. I’ve dropped $100 at a lobster truck. Lol. If it’s something I can n only get from your truck and it’s that level of quality then yeah higher prices are warranted.”
“I made a post a couple days ago kinda touching on this. Which I didn’t really clarify one thing. I don’t mind the $20 plate for burger and fries; but yeah, it better be good! Not Sysco soy/beef patties. Also on that note; if I am paying $20-$25 a plate, I at least expect a nice sitting arrangement. If I’m paying restaurant prices, I would hope there’s a decent place to sit without the wind blowing everything around. In Portland it became a bit crazy paying those prices for great food to just hav”
“Appreciate the input. The bannock bun is the signature of the truck. It's an indigenous food truck, so everything is centered around indigenous ingredients (hence the bison and salmon). Can't lose the bannock. It's the main attraction.”
“It would depend on the experience you're after... are you just hungry? Then go somewhere cheaper. Are you wanting super tasty food? Go to the place or truck that makes bomb food.”
“Bud I make the buns fresh every morning (bannock buns) and use quality bison (6 oz patty), and the burger is topped with house made bacon jam, house made pickles, high quality cheese, and house made sauce. And the portion of fries is huge. I make everything from scratch down to the fry seasoning. The salmon burger is a 5 oz grilled fillet of wild caught sockeye that I cut fresh every morning and serve it on bannock with my own red onion marmalade and house made BBQ sauce. I even have a garden fo”
“Its not that much more to use high quality ingredients and not that much more effort to make, whatever it is youre doing, the right way”
“Restaurants out here are so expensive that it doesn't really matter if it's a food truck or a restaurant, It's going to be pricey. $15 here for a Good Food Truck meal with definitely be worth it. That said, the better food trucks here are basically all gone. There's just the crap reheated food (called the food truck maffia by some) that they didn't make and tells it to tourists at one particular location. We do have some good food stands that are usually at farmers markets or”
“If you are overpriced you won’t last. If folks are paying the prices then there is no issue. If prices are too high they’ll stop paying. Folks love to complain online but you can’t use only that to figure out your reality.”
“I think that the argument is if I’m going to pay you as much as I would pay to sit down and eat in a restaurant, why don’t I just go sit down and eat in a restaurant instead of paying you $42 to eat on a sidewalk. Some food trucks are overpriced, I usually see these at festivals and things like that. My favorite local food trucks are always kind of in the same spot, and they are much more affordable.”
“I live in Vegas. It’s mostly tacos here, and expensive ones. I got excited when a corn dog food truck appeared a few years ago.”
“I’m not sure how that’s different? The size of the box? I run a food truck at night and my day job is selling food to restaurants. I can promise you: Restaurants run to the grocery all the time. Food trucks will often shop at the grocery because there’s only so much space on the truck and wholesale cases are huge. The difference in food from a wholesaler and food from a grocery is mostly just the packaging and the quantity. The quality of the final product is based on the quality of the ingredie”
“Actually, most restaurants buy from food wholesalers and commercial bakeries, not the local supermarket.”
“I think you’d be very surprised to see what brick and mortar restaurants are also buying…..do you think every restaurant is baking their own bread and buns, or not buying pre- packaged meats and cheeses?”
“I've eaten better food from some trucks than I have in some restaurants. I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, but for me, I'll pay good money for good food.”
“Don’t look at all food trucks the same way. If you’re talking about parking on the street and then doing walk-up sales with no dining room, no shelter, no air-conditioning, no heat, no seating… Then your glorified fucking cafeteria. And you can’t be charging the kind of money that a good or decent sitdown restaurant is charging. And by that I mean, even something as basic as Applebee’s or Chili’s or islands or Fridays. That’s the proxy that you’re going to be competing against and if your price”
“We have a birria taco truck in town that is $20 for an insane amount of food better than any restaurant in town.”
“I've been running a food truck for the last 5 years and this is kinda how I've set the menu. Is $20 a lot for a burger and fries or 2 pieces of beer battered fish with fries and slaw? Maybe. But if it's really good, fresh, quality food that's cooked to perfection and a solid portion, then I think people will be happy.”
“Cheap vs expensive is not a range of cost. It’s a range of value ($X). Value ($X)is determined by the customer. Quality (Q) is determined by the guy running the truck. Volume (V) is what the guy on the truck should be concerned about to set prices (P). So I look at it all as V= ($X*Q)/P Or basically the if your Value and Quality aren’t outpacing your Price, you’re Volume becomes a shrinking number.”
“i see people complain about food truck prices like the truck is supposed to compete with fast food but if someone is cooking a small menu in a tiny kitchen, using decent ingredients and actually making the food to order, i don’t mind paying restaurant prices what bothers me is paying $15+ for something that tastes like it came straight from a freezer for me the question isn’t really “is this expensive for a food truck?” it’s “would i pay this much for this food again?” submitted by /”
“The problem with that is that the "order taker" is rarely just an order taker. I've never seen a truck where the person taking orders wasn't also a cook in some capacity, even if they are just topping buns. At minimum they are also packing the food as it gets ready, and they aren't doing that from outside the truck. Increasing the labor cost will increase the cost to the customer.”
“Do people still go to food trucks and even if they do, are the numbers decent? submitted by /u/EstablishmentDue3096 [link] [comments]”
“Agree. Unless what’s offered is something unique to the area, I’ll take a pass on a food truck.”
If the menu is a QR code, Im finding somewhere else to eat
“Crappy food thats hard to eat while standing AND costing as much or more as a place that I can sit down to eat.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but as a customer the value isn’t worth it to be honest. I’d rather go to a sit down place if I’m paying $20 for a meal that’s smaller than a restaurant.”
“I don't know why you argue with people who have no idea what they're talking about. People who want that eight dollar plate don't care where the food came from and don't care who made it.”
“You can’t really take advice on food itself as that will completely depend on your location. I see folks here mention fries, yet we’re a food truck without fries and people ask us if we have fries every day we’re open. Someone else mentioned grilled cheese, yet we’re a dedicated grilled cheese truck because there aren’t grilled cheese trucks in the area.”
“Food cost calculations and economies of scale are difficult things for people outside the industry to grasp.”
“You asked.... First, I hate when they put the menu items on the vinyl wrap and don't even have it on the menu. If we are working an event with multiple trucks and if I see an amazing taco or hot dog on your wrap and you don't have it -- you missed the point. And you spent a ton of money to do that too. I had one competitor tell me they've NEVER offered that hamburger that's on the side of the truck. Why. Second, I hate people that put a cartoon or caricature of themselves on the”